The Best Laid Plans
by River of Oblivion
Summary: John's heart wrenched again when he thought of what could go wrong, who he could lose...Spoilers for The Return pt. 1


_**"The Best Laid Plans"**_

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**Spoilers:** "The Return"

**Summary:** Another missing scene from "The Return pt. 1." After watching Elizabeth, Carson, Rodney and John head for the jumper decked out in full battle gear I had to wonder what happened between the previous scene and that scene.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them nor am I making any money off of this. If anything, I'm losing money and my GPA is dropping.

**A/N: **Reviews will make midterm week bearable.

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"You don't have to do this you know," John Sheppard's softly spoken comment seemed innocuous enough, but Elizabeth knew better. 

"Do what?" she inquired flippantly, shrugging on her vest. She knew full well what he was talking about. At the moment it was all she could think about; but she was irritated enough at the sentiment behind John's statement that she decided to play the part he'd assigned her and be purposefully naïve.

"Elizabeth," he placed a hand on her arm as she reached for an ARG.

She shrugged him off, "I'm fine John; I know what I'm doing."

He sighed and glanced briefly at Rodney and Carson, who were pointedly ignoring their conversation, "Look, it's not that I think you're incompetent…"

"Oh really?" Elizabeth whirled on him, green eyes flashing, "Then what exactly do you think?"

John just stood there as she invaded his personal space and met her gaze unflinchingly. Something flickered across his face and Elizabeth became acutely aware of the close proximity of his face to her own; he was close enough to kiss…

She sighed when he pulled away, partially in relief and partially in disappointment. "I'll try not to be too much of a burden John, but I…I really want to do this. Atlantis is home; and I'm not about to let those machines get away with invading our home!" Elizabeth slapped the barrel of the ARG against her palm to emphasize her point.

The way she was holding herself, determination in every fiber of her being and her eyes blazing with a wild defiance, only lent itself to her natural beauty. Where before she had merely been lovely she was now stunning, untamed, magnificent. Watching her transformation, John felt his chest tighten almost painfully and his heart start to race. If this was what Elizabeth looked like when she was in full diplomat mode then he could understand why she was so successful.

"I think you're amazing," he breathed in awe. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rodney and Carson exchange a look.

Elizabeth stared at him, her mouth falling open in surprise, "What…"

"You asked me what I thought," John shrugged, somehow managed to tear his eyes away from her and went back to loading his vest up with grenades and ammunition, "I think you're amazing."

A hot flush crept up Elizabeth's neck, "Oh," she cleared her throat, "Um…thank you."

John felt his own face grow warm and he licked his lips nervously. Gathering himself he sent her a patented Sheppard smile, "No problem."

They spent the next few minutes in silence as they finished gearing up, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

"All right, are we ready to get this show on the road?" John forced his voice to sound chipper.

He surveyed his team, anxiety forming a little ball in his stomach. Out of the four of them, he was the only soldier, the only one trained to handle what they were about to get themselves into. John knew each and every one of them would give their all, especially Elizabeth, and to be honest, that's part of what had him worried. He would rather have her cowering in a corner and safe than throwing herself into the battle where she could get seriously injured; but he knew sitting back and doing nothing wasn't Dr. Elizabeth Weir's style, and that was part of what he loved about her.

John froze mid-step, all the air in his lungs exiting with an audible 'whoosh,' _What I **love** about her?!_

The object of his thoughts was suddenly standing right in front of him, a quizzical and slightly concerned look on her face.

"John?" Elizabeth's hand brushed his, "Is something wrong?"

The light touch of her fingertips sent lightning up his arm, almost causing his brain to short-circuit. He swallowed hard, _Oh yeah, something's wrong all right. _"Uh…no, everything's fine."

Elizabeth didn't look convinced but she nodded anyway and started to withdraw her hand. Before she could pull completely away John grabbed her shoulders, keeping her in place.

"Elizabeth…" he trailed off, knowing what he wanted to say but unsure how to say it.

"Yes?" she gazed up at him expectantly, her vivid green eyes whirlpools of emotion.

"What I said earlier, about you not having to do this," John felt her shoulders tense under his hands, "It's not that I think you're inept, far from it."

He released his hold on her and uneasily ran a hand through his perpetually tousled hair. "It's just that, well, you're not military and I…" he exhaled sharply, "Be safe out there okay? I don't want to lose you."

Elizabeth's eyes widened almost imperceptibly and for a few seconds she simply stared at him. Just when John was starting to get really worried she reached up as though she were going to touch his face. "I don't want to lose you either."

The moment was cut short when Carson and McKay, fully geared, came up from behind to join them. Elizabeth dropped her hand like she'd been scalded and quickly backed away from John, who was still trying to wrap his head around her hushed confession. To their credit, neither the astrophysicist nor the doctor said anything about their two leaders' quiet moment.

"We're ready," The way Carson was unconsciously fiddling with the straps on his pack belied the deceptive calmness in his voice

Tightening her grip on the gun she had cradled in her arms Elizabeth smiled nervously, "So I guess this is it."

John's heart wrenched again as he thought again of what could go wrong, who he could lose. "Last chance to turn back," his voice came out in a whisper.

The three pairs of eyes that met his were filled with grim determination. John's chest swelled with bittersweet pride; he might have been the only soldier, but the trio in front of him had the hearts of warriors. _Even McKay…_

"Right," he tried to smile, "Let's go snag ourselves a Jumper, pick up our formidable alien friends and take back our city."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the door, "After you."

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End file.
